Aliases: "Power incarnate," "the lord of warlords,"
"first among the warriors of a universe" (nicknames used by Arkon
himself), "Arkon the fool" (nickname used by the Scarlet Witch),
"Brother Arkon" (nickname used by the Human Torch), "Sire" (nickname
used by Grand Vizier Greybeard)

Base of Operations: Capitol city of
Polemachus

First Appearance: Avengers I#75 (April 1970)

Powers/Abilities: Like all Polemachans, Arkon's
abilities were well beyond baseline human level. He possessed superhuman
strength (lifting 75 tons), speed, stamina and reflexes. Arkon healed at
an increased rate, fully recovering from most conventional injuries
within hours. He also appeared to have a distinctly longer lifespan, once
having studied Earth culture for two decades without aging appreciably.
As the Imperion, Arkon had access to three types of lightning-shaped
artifacts that he carried in combat. The golden bolts allowed Arkon to travel
between dimensional planes, the scarlet and the black bolts were both
offensive weapons, generating powerful explosions on impact. The origin
and nature of Arkon's bolts remained unrevealed. Arkon also carried a
shield and had been known to use giant reptilian-like dinosaurs as his
personal steeds. An experienced and gifted military strategist, Arkon was
known for his ruthless determination and cunning that was often impeded
by his overblown sense of importance.

Height: 6'0"Weight: 400 lbs.Eyes: BrownHair: Brown

History:
(Avengers I#75 (fb)) - Arkon was born on the extradimensional, alien
world called Polemachus. Unlike most planets, Polemachus did not orbit
a star. Instead, it depended on a series of energy rings that circled
the planet in near orbit. Warfare and conquest was considered the most
important goal in Polemachan society. Arkon proved one of the most
powerful among his people and enjoyed great respect while proving
himself on the battlefield. Eventually, his prowess and skill allowed
him to gather an army large enough to conquer and rule over all who
opposed him. Effectively in control of Polemachus, Arkon assumed the
title of Imperion and indulged in the many perks his new role allowed
him. In recent days, Arkon was shocked when he learned of Greybeard's
discovery that the energy rings surrounding Polemachus were slowly
disintegrating, condemning Polemachus to eternal darkness. Initially
scoffing at the old man, Arkon mocked the fact he could no longer
fight, though that quickly turned to deep concern for his people when
the light that the rings provided failed, bringing Polemachan society
to the brink of collapse. When the rings received an energy boost from
an unknown source, which restored their light giving capabilities, an
intrigued Greybeard investigated the matter and deduced that the energy
had come from an extradimensional world that its inhabitants called
Earth. Determining that each time an atomic bomb went off on Earth,
part of the blast somehow made its way to the Polemachan energy rings,
leaving a charge sufficient to last a year. Arkon was fascinated by
Greybeard's findings but worried that the fate of his world depended on
the whims of humanity. Greybeard advised him that it would be possible
to power the rings for untold ages if a sufficiently large atomic bomb
would be detonated on Earth, even though it would destroy the entire
planet in the process. Lacking the technology to build an atomic weapon
and unable to physically transport himself to Earth, the cunning
Imperion started work on a plan to use mystical means to achieve this
goal. For the next two decades, he studied Earth and worked on a
mystical spell book that would allow him to bridge "the great barrier"
between dimensions if a mutant cast it. Learning of the Scarlet Witch,who had just recently lost her hex powers
and was pouring over magic tomes in hopes of finding a way to restore
them, Arkon decided to disguise the dimensional teleportation
incantation as a restoration enchantment. He then made sure the book
came into the Witch's possession.

(Avengers I#75/Avengers I#138 (fb)) - Hoping the mysterious incantation would
restore her powers, Wanda read it out loud in the presence of
Quicksilver and Toad, who were somewhat skeptical. Arkon's plan worked,
as the spell opened a portal from Polemachus to Earth allowing the
Imperion to make his way to this new world. Quickly infatuated with the
Scarlet Witch, he used his lightning bolts to transport her and the Toad
back to Polemachus. After a brief fight against Quicksilver, he
teleported himself away as well.

(Avengers I#75) - Arkon appeared at the first major
conference of the world's top nuclear physicists and quickly abducted a
fair number of them, planning to have them unlock the mysteries of the
atom for him.

(Avengers I#75 - BTS) - The Avengers learned of Arkon's
actions through a news report that showing him in action, with the
reporter claiming the mysterious intruder had the potential to destroy
Earth itself.

(Avengers I#76) - While the Avengers were trying to locate
and reach Arkon's dimension to save the Scarlet Witch, the Imperion was
busy trying to court Wanda, whom he
announced would be his bride, whether she wanted to marry him or not.
The Witch was somewhat moved by his charm but repulsed by the fact that he
was cold and heartless enough to kill an entire world. Taking her back
to the royal city to check on the scientists (and Toad) he had locked up
in his dungeons, Arkon was annoyed to learn his prisoners hadn't
divulged the secret of atomic power yet. He then decided to expose them
to the Ultimate Persuader, a device that extracted all the necessary data directly from their
minds. Arkon's vizier used the information to build the Atom-Sphere
that was powerful enough to trigger the explosion required to save
Polemachus. Arkon was ready to travel back to Earth to detonate the
device but was surprised when the Avengers attacked his palace, the
team having finally reached Polemachus via Thor's hammer. Though Arkon
and his forces fought valiantly, the Avengers proved victorious. Not
ready to quit, Arkon rushed to collect the Atom-Sphere and used one of
his teleportational bolts to reach Earth. He was oppossed by Wanda, who
inadvertently accompanied him on his trip back. They rematerialized on
top of the Empire State Building, just as Thor sent Goliath,
Quicksilver, Vision and the Black Panther back to help rescue her.

(Avengers I#76 - BTS) - While Arkon fought the Avengers, Iron Man constructed a device that could power the
rings of Polemachus. Thor summoned lightning bolts to jumpstart the recharging
process. Delighted, the Vizier contacted Arkon with the good news,
pleading with him not to drop the Atom-Sphere.

(Avengers I#76) - His world now safe, Arkon stopped
fighting the Avengers. He even told the Scarlet Witch that he didn't want
to force her to marry him against her will before returning to
Polemachus.

(Avengers I#83 - BTS) - The Enchantress inexplicably
vanished during her most recent confrontation against the Avengers and
found herself on Polemachus. There, she quickly befriended Arkon and
used her magics and good looks to ingratiate herself, quickly becoming
one of the Imperion's trusted aides.

(Avengers I#84 (fb) - BTS) - The Enchantress became
aware that the Black Knight (Dane Whitman) had pierced the dimensional
veil that separated Earth from Polemachus to visit the Well at the
Center of Time, where he was told
he could get rid of his cursed Ebony Blade. Thinking the
Knight was an advance scout for the Avengers, she convinced Arkon to
travel to the Well and deal with him.

(Avengers I#84) - Arkon confronted the Black Knight and
easily defeated him, taking him back to Polemachus as his prisoner.

(Avengers I#84 - BTS) - Through unrevealed ways, the
Scarlet Witch had a prophetic dream that told her of the Black
Knight's fate and Arkon's involvement. She informed the other Avengers
who, after confirming her story, started to prepare a trip to
Polemachus to collect their teammate.

(Avengers I#84 - BTS) - After questioning the Knight,
Arkon concluded the Avengers were up to no good. Determined to strike
first, he used his otherworldly machines to transport Avengers Mansion
to the dimensional between space that the Well was in. There, the startled
Avengers were all quickly overtaken by Arkon's forces, aided by the
Enchantress.

(Avengers I#84) - Arkon joined the fight but learned
the Enchantress had lied to him when the desperate Black Knight
actually used the Well to rid himself of the Ebony Blade, just like he
had claimed. Immediately ordering all the fighting to cease, Arkon
wanted to discuss peace with the Avengers, only to find the team was
utterly fed up with him and departed without even giving him a second
thought. This left the imperial Imperion thoroughly ashamed.

(Fantastic Four I#160 - 163 (fb)/Fantastic Force I#12 (fb)) - Learning of the
existence of alternate realities, Arkon traveled to Earth-A, where he
confronted industrial scientist Albert DeVoor, who specialized in
travel between these alternate realities. Always looking for ways to
power the rings surrounding Polemachus, the Imperion and his Vizier
concocted a complex scheme involving Earth-A, Earth-616 and the
similarly Earth-like Fifth Dimension. He sent Albert DeVoor to the
three worlds to acquire a controlling share in the (weapons)
technologies of the Reed Richards of Earth-A and Earth-616 as well
as 5th Dimension scientist Phineas. Now controlling Doctor Doom's time
platform, Phineas' weather control technology and an army of Earth-A
androids, Arkon planned to start a war between the three worlds that
would lead to their total destruction, figuring the explosive energies
would automatically end up empowering the Polemachan energy rings. He
also took Johnny Storm from Earth-A back to Polemachus, where the
severely injured war veteran was remade into Gaard, tasked with
guarding the universal nexus connecting the various alternate Earths
involved in the conflict. In the end, the heroes of all three worlds
banded together to stop Arkon's scheme.

(X-Men Annual I#3 - BTS) - When Polemachus'
energy rings malfunctioned and started to lose their charge again,
Arkon was advised by his Vizier to once again go to Earth and ask the
Avenger Thor to help recharge the rings.

(X-Men
Annual I#3) - Using his powerbolts, Arkon teleported to New York City
where he caused quite the stir. When he visited Avengers Mansion to
request Thor's assistance, the team's butler Edwin Jarvis informed him
Thor was away on a personal mission. Arkon was then contacted by his
Vizier, who told him the weather-manipulating X-Man Storm might be a
suitable replacement. Arkon made his way to the X-Men's base, fighting
off the team before throwing a teleportation bolt at Storm that took
her to Polemachus. However, before he himself could return, the X-Men
overpowered the Imperion and forced him to explain how to use his bolts
to go after Storm. The team took Arkon prisoner, which allowed Cyclops
to use the Imperion's bolts to return them to Polemachus. They left
their recently injured teammate Banshee behind to contact the Avengers
or the FF in case they didn't come back. Arkon and the X-Men appeared
in the Imperion's palace, surrounded by his forces and Greybeard, who
had temporarily taken over as ruler. The X-Men demanded Storm be
released or else they'd hurt Arkon, unaware that Storm had been moved
by the plight of the Polemachans and agreed to help. Unimpressed by the
X-Men's demands, Arkon yelled out to his forces to attack the mutants,
which they did. Furious at this betrayal, Wolverine slammed him aside
and joined the X-Men in fighting off their assailants. In the end, the
team managed to escape the palace and located Storm, who calmed
everyone down by explaining she was actually helping Arkon by choice.
The X-Men offered their assistance, Nightcrawler and Wolverine tinkered
with Iron Man's original device so it could absorb the energy of
Cyclops' optic blasts as well. When everything was prepared, Colossus
shifted to his organic steel form and held up Storm, acting as a
ground, who summoned the biggest electrical storm she could muster and
unleashed it on Cyclops, whose blast powered the device which, in turn,
fed the energy to Polemachus' depleted rings. Though the act devastated
the mountain they were standing on, burying them all in the process,
Arkon kept Storm safe and was most impressed by the courage the X-Men
(and Ororo in particular) had displayed. In the aftermath, Arkon
offered the X-Men to remain on Polemachus as part of his army,
promising them that together they could conquer a universe. After
politely refusing this proposal, the X-Men were returned home by Arkon.

(Uncanny
X-Men Annual I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Catching the Polemachans by surprise,
Brother Royal and the Badoon forces, who were planning to make
Polemachus the staging ground for a future invasion of Earth, captured
Polemachus’ capital city, as well as Arkon in their initial attack. In
a matter of weeks, the Badoon conquered all of Polemachus, leaving
death and destruction in their wake. Brother Royal took over Arkon's
palace, enslaving and torturing the Imperion. However, when they
couldn't break his spirit, the Badoon went to work to try and break his
body.

(Uncanny X-Men Annual I#5 - BTS) - The Badoon kidnapped
Mr. Fantastic, Thing and the Human Torch and took them back to
Polemachus where they were tortured for any information that could
benefit the coming invasion of Earth. Only the Invisible Girl escaped
because of her powers. She went to the X-Men for help, just as Storm
was having a vivid nightmare about the Badoon, Arkon and Polemachus.
Putting two and two together when the Invisible Girl showed up at
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, the X-Men and Susan Richards
decided to travel to Polemachus using some of the transportation bolts
Arkon had left behind the last time he visited Xavier's.

(Uncanny X-Men Annual I#5) - Once they arrived on
Polemachus, Storm and the Invisible Girl pretended to be slave girls
and gained access to the palace, where they managed to free Arkon and
the three FF members. Weakened after the prolonged torture he
had suffered, the prideful Arkon was forced to lean on Storm while they
made their way out of the palace prison. Following a prolonged
struggle. the Badoon were eventually routed, their stargate destroyed
and the Brother Royal killed by Polemachan rebel forces. The defeat
of the Badoon was cause for planet-wide celebration, with Arkon and
Storm sharing a brief, passionate encounter. Arkon initially planned
to ask Ororo to marry him but decided against it because he realized
they both led very different lives that they were committed to. Arkon
admitted this to Storm, even saying that for her, he would leave
Polemachus behind if she only asked. Gentle as ever, Storm told him
she knew this and wouldn't ask him, kissing the Imperion goodbye.

(Uncanny X-Men Annual I#9 - BTS) - After learning Storm
and the New Mutants had been kidnapped and taken to Asgard, the X-Men
decided to rescue them. In order to reach Asgard, Cyclops used some
more of Arkon's golden bolts.

(West Coast Avengers II#31 (fb) - BTS) - Arkon's brief
appearances on Earth had sparked the imagination of Hollywood
producers, who based a successful movie franchise on his likeness, even
casting Simon Williams to play the villain in the fourth installment.
Learning of the fact his likeness was being used on Earth, Arkon grew
outraged seeing as depicting the Imperion in any way, shape or form
was considered a crime in Polemachan society. Arkon had a miniature
nuclear device commissioned that he placed on his belt as he planned a
return visit to Earth to set matters straight.

(West Coast Avengers II#31 - BTS) - Just as Arkon was
crossing the dimensional divide, Phantom Rider and his mentally
unbalanced fellow Rangers member Texas Twister engaged in a
convoluted, Comanche ritual intended to summon a denizen of the spirit
realm. Twister was hoping this would rescue his lover Shooting
Star from the demonic plane she was trapped in.

(West Coast Avengers II#31) - The magical interference of
Phantom Rider and Texas Twister caused Arkon to materialize in the
Rider's cave. Not amused, Arkon left and headed for the Avengers
Compound in Palos Verdes to fight Wonder Man to the death over the Arkon movies. Arkon eventually
reached his destination and called out Simon. Not willing to listen to
reason, Arkon decreed his honor could only be restored through a duel.
Threatening to detonate the nuclear bomb on his belt if the other
Avengers interfered, he assured Williams there was no chance it could
go off during their fight. Wonder Man tore into the Imperion while
trying to explain to the otherworldly warrior how Hollywood worked.
Arkon was forced to use his powerful forcebolts to keep up with the
ionic Avenger, who eventually managed to force the Imperion to his
knees. Still refusing to talk his way out of the conflict, feeling
that was for women, he tasked Wonder Man to represent him in talks
with the studios to warn them he would countenance no further
desecration.

(Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme I#12 - BTS) - After
the Enchantress failed to defeat Dr. Strange as part of the "Acts of
Vengeance," she decided to recruit her old ally Arkon. Using her
magics to whisper thoughts into the Imperion's ear, she informed him
the men of Earth were still using his image in movies. She then
teleported the furious Arkon to New York City, removing all the
teleportational bolts from his quiver so he wouldn't be able to
return.

(Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme I#13) - Initially
unaware the Enchantress was responsible for his arrival on Earth,
Arkon gleefully destroyed the marquee of a movie theatre that showed
the latest Arkon film while bellowing that the humans of Earth had
lied to him. After a while, the Enchantress drew him towards her and
tried to explain her demands but Arkon was even more outraged when he
saw her. Finally able to calm him down, Enchantress proposed to Arkon
he'd kill Doctor Strange and Clea of the Dark Dimension. Though he
didn't care about Strange, the thought of marrying Dormammu's niece
and possibly ruling over the Dark Dimension sparked the conquering
barbarian's interest. He agreed to help Amora by killing Strange.
Invading the Sanctum Sanctorum, Arkon quickly laid claim to Clea as
his future bride before seemingly killing Stephen Strange after a
prolonged battle. In reality, Clea had used a spell to make it appear
as if Strange had died, allowing the mage sufficient time to prepare a
counter offensive. In the end, the Enchantress abandoned Arkon while
Clea opened a portal that returned the Imperion back to Polemachus.

(Avengers Annual I#19 (fb)) - In the aftermath of the
Loki-organized wave of supervillain attacks dubbed the "Acts of
Vengeance," Captain America, Thor and Vision came together to review
the situation. They discussed the various attacks, including Arkon's
assault on Doctor Strange.

(Avengers Annual I#21 - BTS) - While reviewing the
Avengers' top ten most dangerous foes, Black Knight learned that Arkon
the Imperion was ranked number 9 on the list. Later, Black Knight and
Captain America faced an artificial version of Arkon during a training
session.

(Avengers West Coast I#75 - BTS) - Arkon remained
popular on Earth. The newly constructed California amusement park
called Sword-and-Sorcery World even constructed a ride based on the
Imperion called "Arkon Versus the Dragon."

(Avengers West Coast I#75 - BTS) - In need of help from
her former love interest Ben Grimm and his friends in Femizonia's war with Polemachus, Thundra decided to
collect all of them. She made her move when the Fantastic Four and
Avengers West Coast were invited for an exclusive visit to
Sword-And-Sorcery World a week before the theme park would officially
open. Both Franklin Richards and Spider-Woman's daughter Rachel were
overjoyed and had the time of their lives until they boarded the
Arkon ride and were transported away by Thundra's cross-dimensional
control. However, while Franklin arrived on Femizonia, Rachel wound up
on Polemachus. The two teams decided to pursue the children, taking a
ride on Arkon Versus The Dragon as well. Spider-Woman, Thing, Hawkeye,
Mr. Fantastic and Living Lightning reached the world of Thundra's
Sisterhood, their teammates were shunted to Polemachus, courtesy of
Arkon using technology to hijack half of them midway.

(Avengers West Coast I#75) - As soon as Iron Man, Wonder
Man, Scarlet Witch, Invisible Woman and the Human Torch were suspended
upon arriving on Polemachus, Arkon asked his Vizier if their
collective will power had been sapped during the transfer as per his
orders. Arkon planned to use the five heroes of Earth during the final
conflict against Thundra and the Femizonians as Thundra
strongarmed the other five to fight on her behalf. This led to a long,
bloody conflict that took the lives of many Femizonians and
Polemachans (including Shigaru,
who Arkon had assigned to keep Rachel Carpenter in check). In
the end, Thundra and Arkon faced off against each other. Following an
intense encounter, the two warriors born looked into each other's eyes
and suddenly realized their shared passion, instantly forgetting their
conflict as they kissed. The Avengers and the Fantastic Four left the
happy couple in peace.

(Avengers I#358 (fb)) - The world of Polemachus faced
unprecedented danger when the energy rings began to flare out of
control, giving off too much light energy which caused massive
droughts. In desperation, the masses, led by a priest named Anskar,
looked to ancient Polemachan ways for answers. Figuring the old gods
required a human sacrifice, all the daughters of the noble families
were gathered. One of them, a girl called Astra, was chosen by Anskar
to serve as the proverbial sacrificial lamb. However, Thundra and
Arkon, rulers of Polemachus, deemed human sacrifice barbaric and took
Astra to Earth.

(Avengers I#358) - Arkon, riding his reptilian steed
Karia, appeared with Astra and Thundra in the middle of New York City
during a thunderstorm. Almost immediately, the trio found themselves
besieged by New Yorkers and police men. Their presence eventually
alerted the Avengers, who came to calm the Imperion and company down.
The trio accompanied Earth's mightiest to their headquarters where
Arkon explained the current situation on Polemachus.

(Avengers I#358 - BTS) - Upon learning that Arkon,
Thundra, and Astra had fled and were nowhere to be found, Anskar
naturally and correctly assumed they had fled to the planet Earth for
refuge. Anskar located Arkon, Thundra, and Astra and teleported them
back to Polemachus, unintentionally bringing the Avengers along as
well.

(Avengers I#358) - Anskar imprisoned the Avengers in an energy field
and struck down Thundra with a blast from his staff. Anskar tried to
persuade Arkon into killing Astra, telling him it was the only way to
quiet the wrath of the gods and the cries of the people. Astra was once
again willing to give up her life if Arkon willed it but the Vision
managed to convince Anskar and Arkon to give the Avengers twenty-four
hours to try and fix the problems with the energy rings. Anskar
hesitantly agreed.

(Avengers I#359) - Anskar continued to whip the masses
into a frenzy, crying for Arkon to save them by sacrificing Astra.
Anskar pressured Arkon to make the sacrifice, asking him if he had
gone completely deaf to his people's cries. However, the Avengers were
successful in saving Polemachus by leeching off the excess energy from
the energy rings. The heroes celebrated that now Astra would not need
to be sacrificed but Anskar had other ideas and lethally stabbed
Astra, claiming it was the will of the gods that the Avengers had succeeded,
which meant they still needed their gift. Arkon was unable to stop the
furious Avenger Sersi from incinerating Anskar with her eye blasts.

(Avengers
I#400 - BTS) - Jarvis was tricked by Loki into recalling the Avengers'
most dangerous enemies, which the god of mischief then manifested
elsewhere to fight the team. The butler thought back on Arkon the
Imperion, among other notable adversaries.

(Quicksilver I#3 (fb) - BTS) - When the Polemachan
skies once more began to burn, the priests called Brother Cranus and
Gullo determined Earth-616 was to blame (presumably as a result of
Franklin Richards' Counter-Earth.). In order to escape the
burning skies, the priests decided they needed to transport Polemachus
across the dimension divide, forcing their world to trade places with
Earth. To achieve this, they generated several dimensional portals
from which some of the dinosaurs native to Polemachus escaped to
Earth. To keep Arkon occupied while they worked on their plan, Cranus
and Gallo drugged Thundra, turning her into a berserker who couldn't
be reasoned with, and made sure she wound up on Earth-616.

(Quicksilver I#3 (fb)) - When Arkon learned of his
mate's disappearance, he immediately mounted a rescue mission, tracing
her to Earth.

(Quicksilver I#2) - Already perplexed by the unexplained
global downpour and the sudden appearance of dimensional portals in
Manhattan, Quicksilver and the Knights of Wundagore went out to deal
with Thundra who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and was causing massive
structural damage in New York City. Just as Quicksilver had stunned
the Femizonian, Arkon the Imperion appeared to defend his mate, riding a
flying dinosaur and ready to hurl one of his bolts at Pietro.

(Quicksilver I#3) - After a convoluted multi-dimensional
mission with Quicksilver and the Knights of Wundagore, Arkon managed
to rid Thundra of the poison the priests had subjected her to. He also
prevented their plan to switch Earth with Polemachus, bidding
Quicksilver and the Knights a heartfelt goodbye.

(Avengers
III#18 (fb) - BTS) - Tired of Arkon and Thundra's unconventional rule,
Grand Vizier Greybeard looked for ways to depose the Imperion. Scanning
Earth-616, he spotted the Wrecking Crew fighting the Avengers in New
Orleans. The Crew had earlier been hired by the Doomsday Man to capture
Carol Danvers, the former Ms. Marvel, instead the somewhat dimwitted
foursome went after Monica "Captain Marvel" Rambeau. Having already
captured Carol Danvers, Doomsday Man had no use for the Wrecking Crew
and planned to use his teleportation beam to destroy them. However, the
Avengers' field leader Scarlet Witch cast one of her improbability
spells that caused the Wrecker, his crew and Photon (as Rambeau called
herself at the time) to end up in the Vizier's court. Using the
technology at his disposal, Greybeard incapacitated Photon and placed
her in a cell that siphoned her energy, feeding it to the Wrecking
Crew, who enjoyed greatly increased powers as a result.

(Avengers III#18 (fb) - BTS) - Arkon and Thundra proved
no match for the Wrecking Crew. Swiftly defeating the duo, the
empowered villains chained up Arkon in a cell. Wrecker took Arkon's
crown and even lied about Thundra having died, thereby crushing his
spirits.

(Avengers III#17 (fb) - BTS) - Not willing to let the
Wrecking Crew get away scott free, the Avengers planned to go after
them (see comments).
Arriving on Polemachus, they quickly encountered Thundra, who served as
head of the rebellion. She told the Avengers of Arkon's current fate,
suffering humiliation at the hands of the Wrecking Crew.

(Avengers III#18) - The Avengers, after a ferocious
fight, gained access to the Imperion's palace. Vision was the first to
locate Arkon, who was a broken, emotionally shattered man over the
fact he'd lost Thundra. Vision tried to get the Imperion out of his
rut but only managed to drag him out of his cell. Arkon's mood
brightened considerably when he spotted his first Earth-616 love, the
Scarlet Witch. Just as he tried to charm her once again, Thundra
arrived. After a brief, joyous reunion Arkon led his forces against
the Wrecking Crew and those among his former army loyal to the
Vizier. Observing the fighting from a bridge overlooking the
courtyard, the Vizier thought himself safe but was spotted by Arkon
and the Scarlet Witch, who rushed him. Arkon was ready to strangle
Greybeard but Wanda reminded the Imperion that the Vizier was still
needed to help stop the fighting. With a little convincing on Arkon's
part (who held a dagger to the Vizier's
back), Greybeard ordered the warriors of Polemachus to lay
down their arms, claiming that Arkon reigned supreme once more.

(Avengers III#38) - BTS) - Adopting a more pro-active
approach to crime fighting, the Avengers created and maintained a
global status board that kept them apprised of any potential threat
they might need to deal with. Arkon was listed as being non-hostile
and currently active on Polemachus.

(Amazing Spider-Man II#658 - BTS) - Through unrevealed
ways, a portal between Polemachus and Earth was established. This
allowed Arkon's bestiary of giant reptiles to escape and run rampant
in Paris, France.

(Amazing
Spider-Man II#658) - Arkon, aided by the Future Foundation and their
newest member Spider-Man (who was aiding the Fantastic Four after the
Human Torch's apparent death), managed to subdue all the Polemachan
animals that had escaped, forcing them through the portal that Reed
Richards promised to close as soon as Arkon himself had safely passed
through. The grateful Imperion told his old allies they fought well and
were always welcome on Polemachus.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Tom Palmer.

Man, when Roy Thomas creates a character that doesn't
catch on, he really doesn't let go, does he? At least half of Arkon's
appearances to date were (co)written by "Rascally Roy." When others
use him, it's either as a cameo or when they need a punching bag.
Arkon invariably winds up getting humiliated, imprisoned or badly
beaten up.

Roy Thomas interviewed the late John Buscema about their Avengers
run, published in Alter
Ego III#13. Thomas describes the inspiration behind Arkon as
"having the feel of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John
Carter of Mars crossed with Conan."
When asked if that was what he was going for while designing the
Imperion, the always brutally honest Buscema replied: "I don't
remember, Roy. I really don't. I just remember the character because I
can see the drawings here but if you had talked to me about it over
the phone without seeing this, I wouldn't remember."

Apparently, not too many writers remembered him either
considering the Imperion "only" has around 30 appearances in
about 45 years of established continuity which is a bit of a shame,
considering he stems from such a rich tradition of story telling that
Marvel doesn't have too much experience with.

Not to harp too much on Thomas' writing but Arkon's
debut makes very little sense, even if you ignore the unrevealed
reason why atomic energy from Earth winds up powering stuff on
Polemachus (stranger things have happened). Then Arkon specifically
states he doesn't have the ability to travel to Earth, that's why he
spends over 20 years looking for the right person to read a spell that
mystically transports him to Earth...only to use his teleportational
powerbolts within minutes of arrival to kidnap at least 6 people and
casually return to Polemachus as well.

As
for the way time works between Polemachus and "our" reality: the story
in Avengers III#16-18 clearly suggests a discrepancy. It only took Thor
moments to attune his hammer to the energy pattern of of Polemachus,
yet between the time Mjolnir locked in the coordinates and Thor had
whipped up a portal, the Wrecking Crew had already defeated Arkon,
taken over the capital and fostered a rebellion. This supposed time
difference potentially places Arkon's comments about having observed
Earth for two decades in perspective. Twenty years on Polemachus might
well be little more than a season change on our world.

The name of Arkon's homeworld of Polemachus was apparently
inspired by the ancient Athenian philosopher Polemarchus. As for Grand
Vizier Greybeard's current status as either friend or foe...in his last
appearance to date, Greybeard allied himself with the Wrecking Crew to
get rid of Arkon, so it's pretty safe to say the two aren't exactly on
friendly terms. Then again, the royal Shi'ar advisor Araki has tried to
depose, kill or replace his boss quite a few times and he's still there.

Arkon's
primary weapons were power bolts, stylized to resemble a lightning bolt,
that he carried around in a quiver on his back. There were three
varieties of bolts, allegedly all of his own making. The yellow bolts
allowed Arkon to teleport to any location, even across dimensions like
Earth and Asgard. Reaching a certain location was dependent on the
combination of bolts he used andhe
might also need additional bolts if he transported more than one
person. The
red bolts in his quiver transformed into energy spikes that exploded on
impact, yet didn't hurt the Imperion as long he still held them. The
third, less used, type of powerbolt was (deep) purple and had
considerably more explosive power than the red.

Arkon used a variety of reptile-like creatures native to Polemachus as
his steeds. One of them was Karia, an 8 foot green-skinned reptile
resembling an Earth Tyrannosaurus Rex. Karia accompanied Arkon and Thundra when
they fled to Earth in order to protect the young girl Astra from being
ritually sacrificed by the Polemachan priest Anskar. Fiercely
protective of its master, Karia aided Arkon when he tried to defend
himself from the NYPD police and even attempted to attack the Eternal
Sersi from behind, only to be kicked aside by Sersi's fellow Avenger, the
Black Knight. After Arkon had explained the reason for his appearance,
the Avengers took him, Karia and the others to their headquarters. Karia
was kept in the Quinjet hangar while the Avengers discussed a course of
action with the Imperion in their meeting room. However, Anskar managed
to teleport Arkon and all those around him back to Polemachus, leaving
Karia behind. The Avengers eventually returned from Polemachus with
Arkon's blessings to take good care of Karia. That task initially proved
somewhat difficult because Crystal's Inhuman dog Lockjaw kept barking at
her, riling up the massive mount. Black Widow and the Black Knight
failed to calm her down but Hercules easily restrained and calmed the
creature. Moments later, Karia and the others had to run for their lives
when an inbound Quinjet (piloted by a
madness afflicted Sersi) came crashing into the hangar bay.
Confused and not sure where her loyalties lay, Karia just watched as the
Avengers and their houseguest the Swordsman fought Sersi, eventually
bringing her down.

What happened to Karia afterwards
(especially since the destruction of Avengers Headquarters several
issues later) has not been revealed.